How fun to be a guest blogger on the CK blog this week! I love reading your comments and being inspired by all of your creative ideas!

I have so many happy parts of my job. However, looking back at my career, my favorite thing has been (and continues to be) meeting scrapbookers from all walks of life. I can honestly say that some of my very dearest friends I’ve met through this incredible hobby. In fact, a few days ago I was going through all the states (A-Z–you know the Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas song we all learned in the 5th grade?) and thinking of all the great friends I have in each state. I am truly blessed and have a rich life because of you!

Speaking of a friend I met through scrapbooking, I want to tell you about my pal, Angelyn Bryce. I have been going to QVC for 11 years now. In fact, my 11th year anniversary show is on Thursday May 7th at 5:00 p.m. (EST).

QVC is located 30 miles outside of Philly. The first time I flew out there, I met Angelyn and her new baby, Emerald, on the plane. Angelyn is an avid scrapbooker and approached me saying, “Are you the gal from Creating Keepsakes magazine?” We became instant friends and every time I’d go to QVC, I’d have dinner at their table, sleep at their home or hang out with Angelyn and her family. Angelyn was truly an earthly angel for me. I had a home away from home at the Bryce home and I knew she was always there to help out.

A few years ago, the Bryce family moved to Utah just a few blocks from my home! Angelyn and I laugh because we saw each other a lot more when she lived in Pennsylvania, yet we still get together and pick up right where we left off. This week, Angelyn was once again an earthly angel. Three young lives were cut short in tragic accidents in my area and together (along with my sis, Angela) we made tribute albums for these beautiful people. Click here to see some of the pages.

While I was scrapbook room working on this special project, I saw this beautiful canvas she made with the photos she took of her eight children. It made me happy (I love yellow) and proud of my friend, Angelyn, who is such a wonderful mom and has such a creative mind. And to think I met this lovely lady through scrapbooking! It was meant to be!

Wouldn’t this make a special Mother’s Day gift for Grandma? Or how about creating one of these for yourself with your own children on it? After all, there’s nothing wrong with giving yourself a special gift every now and then.

While I’m talking about moms, I’d like to wish all of the moms out there an early Happy Mother’s Day. I’ll leave you with this quote, which comes from a plaque my friend gave me last year. It says, “Here’s to good moms. May we know them. May we raise them. May we be them.”

Have a super rest of the week!

Sincerely,
Lisa Bearnson

For more from Lisa, please check out the Founder’s Note in every issue of CK and visit her on her blog.

As any mother will likely tell you, handmade gifts from the kids are the stuff that melt mothers’ hearts. So, I’m going to dedicate this week’s warm-up to a few quick and easy gifts you can make for your Mother Dearest or anyone on your gift-recipient list. Like so many of the things I do, these projects are quick, easy and affordable. Let’s begin!

Bitty Pails

I love little buckets, both because they serve many purposes and because they’re just so darn cute. To make my projects, I used a few bitty pails from Target’s dollar section, some rub-ons and a hole punch (the Crop-a-Dile from We R easily punches through metal).Note: If you don’t have a Target in your area, you can find bitty buckets online.

Votives

Okay, so maybe the idea of a candlelit dinner isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Mother’s Day, but this idea may change that. Turn small buckets into votive holders and line them up on your dinner (or brunch table). I used the swirl design of my rub-ons (from Glitz Designs) to guide my hole punching. The candle light will come shining through in fun and interesting ways.

Candy Containers

Fill these tiny containers with Mom’s favorite treat. Like me, my mama loves bubblegum, so I filled my bucket with pink gumballs. Any small candy will do the trick, or you can go a healthier route and fill your containers with non-edible goodies (flower seeds, jewelry, tickets, an SD card loaded with photos, etc.)

Get the Kids Involved

To prove just how easy this project is, I had my young niece help me create. Here are some of her awesome designs.

Let’s Make a Deal

If buckets aren’t really your thing or you simply want to explore your options, I also have a few sales and freebies for you to check out.

Create all sorts of unique gifts for mom on the Shutterfly website. There’s a big sale going on between now and this Wednesday. Plus, you can get free shipping on orders of $50 or more by entering the promo code SHIP50 when you check out.

Our friends at Serif sent over a hot tip on where you can get a free Mother’s Day digi kit, good for making specials layouts for Mom or creating a unique greeting card to brighten up her day. Check out DaisyTrail for details.

You don’t need to wait for a designated holiday to honor the people you care about. I hope these ideas will inspire you to share a bit of yourself with the others through the gift of a handmade surprise.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Speaking of sharing gifts, let’s get to our lucky winners. I have the happy job of announcing winners in today’s post for a number of giveaways hosted last week. Thanks to random.org, I have those names to share with you now. Drum roll, please…

Linda E.: “I always find inspiration on every page of CK but if I had to pick just one article it would be Design Cheat Sheets. I loved the combination of sketches, tips and comments by former Hall of Famers.”

Hello, scrappers! It is Jennifer McGuire here. I’m excited to be this week’s guest blogger and show you how to make unique handmade flowers.

Megan asked me to do this post after I created a bunch of flowers for her “Color by Theme” article in the May 2009 issue of CK (flowers shown above). I had so much fun making flower props and coming up with all the colors and products to use. And now I’m excited to share step-by-step photos for two of my favorite blooms here.

BEADED FLOWER

First up, I have this beaded flower. It looks like it is tough to make, but it is really quite simple.

Step 1: Cut a 2′ piece of bead wire (available in most craft stores) and grab some beads. Your beads don’t need to be fancy-I just used some inexpensive ones that I had from a previous beading project.

Step 2: Thread one bead on the wire and tie a knot around it to hold it in place at the end. Continue adding beads until you’ve covered about 1 ½’ of wire. Note: Don’t tie off the other end – just leave the beads loose on the wire. Loop a portion of the beaded wire to create your first petal, wrapping the wire around the initial knotted bead to secure it in place. Repeat until you have five petals.

Step 3: After forming five loops, remove any extra beads and wrap the extra wire around the center several times to secure the flower.

Step 4: Add a button to the center with glue dots to hold the flower in place and conceal the wire. Easy!

FOLDED FLOWER

Next up is a folded flower. This makes a great accent on gifts. I love to create these!

I hope these flower ideas get you excited for summer and inspired to create! If you are interested in more scrapbooking techniques and videos, stop by my blog at jennifermcguireink.com.

Happy scrapping!

Jennifer McGuire, CK Contributing Writer

WIN A FLOWER GRAB BAG

Are you in love with Jennifer’s flower ideas? Well, you’re in luck. We’re giving away flower grab bags. We’ve divided up the flowers she made for our May 2009 issue into five bags, each containing one flower from each color family (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and white). Each bloomin’ bundle will soon call a new place home. Here’s how to enter:

Leave a comment for Jennifer stating your favorite flower technique sometime between now and Sunday, April 26. From the comments received, five winners will randomely be selected and announced in our “Weekly Warm-up” post on Monday, April 27. Good luck!

hi everyone! Thanks for helping us narrow down our choices for publication by voting for your favorite page. (For more info, see my last post.) We received 726 total votes for 5 selected pages. And the winner is I Adore You by Paper-Klipz!

Congrats! This page will be featured in the September 2009 issue of Creating Keepsakes in our Reader Gallery column. Thanks to all of you who voted.

Paper-Klipz, please email me at editorial@creatingkeepsakes.com (with “You Be The Judge winner” in the subject line) so we can go over the next steps.

Every season gives us a new variation on flower prints, and this season is particularly cool. Watercolor floral prints have an artistic vibe that translates so well to scrapbooking–and they’re so pretty! Here are several more looks at this trend, along with a couple of ideas on how you can create the look on your pages using your scrapbooking supplies.

and a pair of killer pumps from Kate Spade. Ready to play with this look on your scrapbook pages?

Try it! Paint a background that looks like the print on this dress by Charlotte Russe. Choose acrylic paint in 3-4 analogous colors (adjacent to each other on the color wheel) and paint flowers. The beauty of it is that the flowers don’t need to be perfect-slightly messy and abstract is the look you’re going for.

Not a painter? Not a problem! Try stamping!

Try it! Think watercolor florals are for girls only? Not so! Check out these boy shorts from GapKids. Use stamps and a multi-color inkpad to get this look. Ink up hibiscus flower and leaves stamps, and lightly spritz them with water before stamping the images on your cardstock. Tip: To get more vivid colors, stamp on glossy white cardstock.

Try it! Use alcohol inks and white rub-on flowers on a transparency to create a look like this shirt from Style & Co. Start by applying white floral rub-ons to a transparency. Next, apply alcohol inks over the transparency. Use the alcohol ink applicator tool and blending solution to get a rich textured look and color variegation. Variation: Want the rub-ons to stand out a bit more? Add them after inking the reverse side of the transparency.

However you choose to use them, watercolor florals will add a hip, springy dimension to your scrapbook pages. Try them out and let us know how it goes at editorial@creatingkeepsakes.com.

In our Creativity Issue this month, we wanted to make sure every article was packed with ideas to help boost your scrapbooking creativity. Once the magazine was printed, we all wanted to start scrapbooking too! Here are a few little-known facts about this month’s issue:

1. On pages 69-70, you’ll see a bucket-load of creative ideas! This is a lot of ideas for one person to think up. You’ll remember there was a similar list for photo ideas in January’s “Project 365” article. In order to come up with the best ideas possible, these lists are a collaborative effort from everyone on the Editorial team. Everyone contributes their own ideas, and in this case, Managing Editor, Brittany Beattie, compiled this list to make sure we had no duplicate ideas and to make sure we had a variety of ideas.

2. In Allison Davis’s article on pages 81-86, you’ll notice a few children’s illustrations throughout. Those illustrations were drawn by Ben McBride, son of Assistant Editor, Joannie McBride. Aren’t they adorable?

3. On page 122 in “Brian’s Top 5,” you’ll notice the exciting news that scrapNfonts now has many beautiful digital brushes. For our CK readers, scrapNfonts is now offering some FREE brushes! Download them here.

4. “Seasonal Solutions” this month (pages 22-28) focused on what it means to be a mother. Here are few extra insights into the contributors who created two of those layouts:

Emily Higbee:“I had to print the main photo for my layout twice because one of my kids snuck into the room and rubbed a carrot all over the first one. Sigh” Ahh, now that woman knows what it’s like to be a mother!

Rebecca Shogren: “I love the title of my layout because it describes by feelings perfectly! Being a mom is tough, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything!”

I’d love to know what inspired your creativity this issue! Just leave a comment by Friday, April 24, about what inspired you most in the May issue, and I’ll choose three winners randomly to receive some scrapbooking treats to help your creativity! Megan Hoeppner will announce the winners Monday the 27th on the Weekly Warm Up.

You’ll also want to check out the online exclusives this month here for more creative inspiration.

It’s a happy day, indeed! The sun is shining. The temperature is a comfortable 60 degrees (and will be a beautiful 70 before the day is through). And the trees are in full bloom. I snapped this picture on my way into the office this morning. Mother Nature sure knows how to put on a show, doesn’t she?

For tips on how to capture spring in all of its stunning glory, check out our “How to Photography Spring Foliage” article by CK expert and photography pro Candice Stringham.

At last, it feels like spring. In the spirit of this amazing season and Earth Day (this Wednesday), I thought I’d share a few ideas for capturing the feeling of spring on your projects using basic scrapbooking supplies.

To create my Happy Day card (above), I used a combination of supplies and techniques. Two of my three trees are stamped. Using the Sheltering Tree stamp set from Gel-a-Tins, I stamped the same two trees in red, orange, blue, light green and dark green. I then trimmed and layered the stamped trees to create these blooming beauts. For additional dimension, I added pearl and bling blossoms.

Creating the middle tree was super simple. I took apart a two different Lollipop Flowers from Prima and reassembled the flowers to create a multi-colored bubble tree. I love these flowers. They’re great for brightening up any design.

Turn any scrap of patterned paper into a fun and funky tree using shaped punches like this one from Marvy Uchida.

Check out what sassy Cindy Tobey did with circle punches, some buttons, a little felt and some brads. This page is taken from the “Tips & Tricks” column of our April 2009 issue. Very inspiring!

As I mentioned above, stamps are a quick and easy way to create a tree. If you have a Creating Keepsakes Convention coming to a town near you (click here for dates and locations), I highly recommend you take our “One Stamp Set Ten Techniques” class, where you’ll make this striking page (designed by Wendy Sue Anderson) among other adorable projects.

Notice how she has turned her stamped tree (created with a super cute Hero Arts stamp set) into a springtime bloomer with bitty flowers and brads. Awesome!

So, are you inspired to bring a little spring to your projects? If so, I have the giveaway for you. I’m giving away a bucket full of goodies, including:

Do you want to enter to win this bucket of delights (bucket not included)? Simple leave me a comment on this post, telling me your favorite technique for adding spring to your layouts. This can be anything from added button flowers to sewing your own fabric blossoms.

You have until this Sunday, April 26 to leave your comments. I will announce my winner in next week’s “Weekly Warm-Up” post next Monday.

Good luck!

Megan Hoeppner, Creative Editor

P.S. Speaking of giveaways, do you remember my “Brad Bonanza” giveaway? Well, I still have a few unclaimed prizes waiting for homes. If you have a minute, click here to see if you’re one of my lucky names. Thanks!

Hi there! I’m Elizabeth Kartchner, CK contributing editor and 2007 Scrapbooker of the Year winner. I’m excited to be here with you today, sharing one of my favorite scrapbooking techniques.

Even though there are a few inches of snow on the ground here in Utah, I’m in the mood to add a little springtime color to my scrapbook pages using Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels.

I love that you can customize your own background paper with this spray ink and Glimmer Screens (they work just like stencils). I was a bit intimidated at first, but I soon found this to be a really fun and easy thing to do! Ready to give it a try?

Here’s how I created the misted image on my layout above:
1. Lay stencil flat on paper.

2. Spray paper as much or as little Glimmer Mist as you like.
3. Carefully lift stencil from paper.

4. Let dry, and then add the rest of your page details.

This is a fast and fun way to add a pop of color to any scrapbook page. I hope you enjoyed the idea. For more fun scrapbooking techniques, check out my blog.

Happy Friday!

Elizabeth

For more from Elizabeth, check out her “Dear Lizzy” column in every issue of the magazine, where she answers your scrapping questions. Do you have questions you want considered? You can e-mail them to letters@creatingkeepsakes.com (“Dear Lizzy” in the subject line) or simply leave them in the comments section of this blog. Thanks!

As I mentioned in my original “Pardon Our Dust” blog post, we’re in the process of updating and improving our website. This process hasn’t been without a few hiccups, which is why I thought this post might be helpful. Thank you for being so patient and understanding with us as we get things moved from our old site to our new one. This is still a work in progress; so if there’s something you can’t find, please don’t hesitate to alert our webmaster at webmaster@ckmedia.com.

I hope you enjoy the goodies we have waiting for you online. Again, thanks a million for your patience and support.

Enjoy!

Megan Hoeppner, Creative Editor

P.S. I posted a new page call today. We’re looking for pages to include in our October “Becky’s Sketch” column. For details and the October sketch, click on the “Submit” tab at the top of this page. Thanks!

Today’s post is dedicated to the three stylish scrapbookers who won as the Scrap In Style (SIStv) “Style Star Search” contest. As mentioned in a previous blog post, a few of our editors were guest judges in this contest, which invited SIStv web users to upload their unique interpretations of “Spring Green” projects. With the number of incredible entires received, choosing our top three was a difficult task to say the least. But, after a week of deliberation and discussion, the following three were named the 2009 SIStv Style Star winners:

Elaine won with her “Happy Spring” layout, which talks about all of her favorite spring things. We loved her lively journaling and the overall design of the page. Isn’t the banner across the top a fun idea? Great job, Elaine!

Mandy’s “Hello Spring” wall hanging put great big smiles on all of our faces. We were impressed by the time she spent cutting out the little details of the scene (the grass, the flowers, the bunnies-oh my!) and the way she pieced it together to create a happy home décor item. Bravo, Mandy. Bravo!

Congratulations to all of our winners!

As you may or may not know, Paper Crafts magazine also participated in this contest. To see their three winners, check out their blog.

Thanks to all who participated in this exciting contest. Your work definitely inspired our team! And thanks to SIStv for inviting us to participate in this fun par-tay! We loved collaborating with you and getting to know all of your SISters a bit better.